


N'Sync

by AuntyA



Category: Bleach, Pacific Rim (2013)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-06 23:37:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5435087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuntyA/pseuds/AuntyA
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two bad boys working together really closely in a big expensive robot suit. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. (God must have spent) A little more time on you

**Author's Note:**

> What are you gonna do? Sometimes your career aspirations include working with people you hate.

Izuru and Renji had looked at their assignment envelopes at exactly the same time. They were sitting in Renji’s tiny room. Renji kneeling on the floor, Izuru crouching on the bunk, ducking his head so he didn’t crack it on the cupboards above.

Actually, they had decided to look at each other’s envelope first. Renji couldn’t remember why that was exactly, but now he was getting ready to rip open Izuru’s candidate letter that would dictate what program his friend had gotten into.

“Three, two, one and open!”

They were supposed to yell the result out after that but all Renji heard was his own voice saying “Right on! Sync Engineering Ops.” And silence from Izuru.

“Izuru? Hello pal? Way to give me a stroke here. Where am I going? Please tell me didn’t fail? How can I have failed?” Renji was almost wailing that last bit.

Izuru turned towards his friend, his voice low but awed, “Renj, you got the Pilot Course.”

“Don’t jerk my chain with your jokes. Gimme that.” Renji took the papers from Izuru’s hands. They traded envelopes. Izuru beamed happily at his own assignment letter.

Renji’s eyes skimmed right across to the bold selection noted in larger kanji in the letter. ‘Pilot – Jaeger - Entry Stage I’

No way. This was going to kill him. He was literally going to die.

++++

Izuru wasn’t helping. “It isn't going to fry your brain. And your eventual drift partner is going to be just as nervous as you are.”

Renji was moping in the mess hall, a sheer bundle of nerves. “Who else is in this intake group? Who can I get who won’t kill me when we fuck up during drift?” He was sitting backwards on his chair, kicking the leg of the empty chair next to him.  His other foot was twitching, tapping out an irregular rhythm. Renji was also fiddling with his braid with one hand.

“Renji stop worrying, you wouldn’t have been selected if Marshall Haschwalth didn’t think you would make it. Well maybe worry sure, but not about that. Otsukare.” And they both drank.

Izuru pushed the draft pitcher back over to Renji’s side of the table.

“Also you spend almost the first year just dealing with theory and mechanics before you ever get close to the physical technology. You’ll be paired with someone they think will test out for you in the field. They can’t waste funding on drift compatibility mistakes.”

Renji sighed, “I still have to wait for the pairing listings to come out. We have the physical compatibility testing coming up.”

“You won’t have a problem with the physical. All you do is train all the time. You have like less than 10% body fat already or whatever the percentage is you need for your placement.”

“It’s 8%. I know all that.”

“Maybe go see someone about how to deal with your ‘other’ problems. Tough guy.” Izuru had crooked his index fingers on the word other.

“Seriously? Air quotes on that? No.”

“God Renj, I was kidding. You’ll be fine. They would have screened you out already if you were unstable. Look at Jaegerjaques, he was never a good candidate for the pilot program. They bounced him into forecast supply chain right at the start. That seems to be a good fit for him seeing as no-one would want to get anywhere near his brain.”

Renji took a drink of his draft. “Whatever.” He muttered, his own mind going a million miles an hour.

Izuru perked up, “Hey Momo! What did you get, I didn't hear.” He winked at Renji. They both knew exactly where she’d have ended up.

“Hey Renji.” The short woman sat down at their table, snagging the empty chair Renji had been kicking. “I got into Communications and Information. I had a co-op placement there at the end of last year.”

Izuru covered his smile with a polite cough, “No surprise there. Captain Aizen still your mentor?”

Momo glowed, “He says I can apply to work on the Jaeger program unit, transport and retrieval once I’m out of my probation period.”

Renji rolled his eyes behind Momo and made a click clack hand movement that made it hard for Izuru not to burst out laughing. “You need a beer Momo? You can get a glass and join us.”

“No thanks, I have to go. I have a call booked with Toshiro. Congratulations on your placement Izuru and good luck with your assignment Renji. I heard that they have a real winner in mind for you.”

“What! You can’t leave me just with that?” Renji sat up straighter staring at Momo.

“Captain Aizen was talking about you. He sits on that sync assignment board you know.”

Renji’s eyebrows shot up.

“Momo, don't tease him. He’s stressed enough.”

“He’ll find out soon enough.” Momo sailed off with a wave.

“I hate her. ‘Captain Aizen’” Renji made his deep voice sing-song-y. “Shit what a suck up.”

“Otsukare.” He finished off his draft and slammed the glass on the table.

Izuru sipped his draft. “Eh, you’ll live.” He put his glass on the table. Izuru held the sleeve of his uniform at the wrist off to one side with one hand and refilled Renji’s beer glass with the other.

“Come on Izuru, either finish this pitcher or order another one. You are such a downer. I don't want to think about Aizen and that stupid placement list right now. I want to be happy that I made it on the list. Even if it is only temporary-“

“Who’s the downer now? Drink up my friend. You are going to be fine. Maybe you’ll get hooked up to sync with that fine looking Captain crush of yours.” Izuru laughed and looking at Renji with an arched eyebrow, clinked glasses with Renji before taking a sip.

+++

Renji lay on the mat in the A-6 sparring gym. He was vaguely watching a match in the next ring with his eyes barely focused and thinking about just dying right here. His sparring partner was talking with someone over there somewhere. Renji’s whole body wasn’t responding so he was taking a little break. He didn’t think he could actually get up without assistance.

It was a foot. In front of his face. Oh great his partner was back. God he was done with this guy. Izuru had suggested joining the round robin sparring to get experience with a wide variety of opponents. It was kind of like speed dating but more violent. Renji had done okay until he got this guy. This guy was a monster.

The foot shifted and a face came into focus in front of him. The guy had a wide smile and recon high and tight hairdo that made him look very intense. “Hey eyebrows. You’re conscious. Great, I thought I’d have to call for a corpsman to haul you off the mat.”

“Fuck.” That was all Renji could manage in response.

The guy laughed hard and long, slapped Renji on the shoulder and then stood up. “See you tomorrow right here buddy. Sign up at 08:00. That’s me. I’ll give you all my attention. I want to see more effort though. I’m not here to give massages to nappers on their yoga mats.”

“Uh.” Renji thought that grunt might have sounded like he agreed.

He watched the feet walk off. He was not looking forward to tomorrow but he needed the training so he could deal with his assigned drift partner when he got one assigned to him. Whenever that happened. He was sure he’d get someone cool. Sure.

+++

 “Help me look for my number Izuru, I’m 549-85-870.” Renji was pressed up against the bulletin boards, holding off the crowd in the hall as he looked for his pairing placement assignment. “Hey buddy I’ll be done in a minute, I’m looking here. Back off!” Renji elbowed someone hard in the side, using his height and bulk to keep his spot in front of the lists.

Renji and Izuru had been hanging around the hallway on B-4 waiting for the lists to be posted. Along with about forty other pilot hopefuls nervously waiting for the same thing. Finally the one of the base admins came with the papers after everyone was listless with boredom.

“I think I found you, who’s 325-57-038? That’s the number listed as your partner.” Izuru had his finger on the list in front of them looking confused.

Renji stepped away from the posted sheets, “I don’t know. That’s a weird prefix. 325? Not in our cohort anyway, we all are 549s.”

A voice he didn’t know spoke from the side of the hallway. “Quincys. 325 are Quincys.” Renji snapped his head around at the base admin who had posted the lists. He was standing off to the side of the melee in front of them. Renji found he was completely wrong. That man was not a base admin at all.

“Sir yes sir!” Renji saluted. They had just been addressed by Drift Instructor Ishida. Himself. In the hallway of B-4 watching them make fools of themselves shoving at each other in front of the sync pairing assignment listings.

“I know you already Abarai, but who are you then?” Ishida was looking at Izuru. He snapped to attention as well. “Kira, Izuru sir. Sync Engineering Ops.”

“So you are both familiar with the Quincy regiment? 325 are Sternritters.” Ishida looked a bit bemused by their palpable confusion.

“Uh.” Renji was completely tongue tied for once.

Izuru answered more smoothly, “We weren’t aware that Sternritters were participating in the sync exercises this year. Sir.”

“They aren’t part of a training exercise.” Ishida pushed off where he had been leaning against the hallway wall. “They are being assigned sync pairing partners for the next round of mission training. Should be good. I look forward to seeing you soon Abarai.”

He said pointedly to Renji. “And a word of advice, maybe find your partner in advance of the first session to get the initial meeting awkwardness over with and work more effectively. We have a pretty short timeframe on this set of training sessions. Pretty high expectations for pilots.” He waved his hand down the hall,  “You are both dismissed thank you.” Then he turned and walked away.

Izuru covertly pinched Renji’s arm from where he was standing. Renji started, “Sir yes sir.”

They both stared at Ishida’s retreating back.

Renji stuttered, “He knew my name.”

“Renji, he would have to know your name don’t you think? To be able to place you in his sessions? But what is he talking about Sternritters being paired with you guys. That sounds a bit dangerous.”

“No shit Izuru. I am so going to die.” Renji rested his head on the hallway wall and left it there. Izuru smiled sadly and patted his arm. “Yep I think you are this time.”

+++

“What the shit. Bazz-B? You are kidding me?”

Izuru looked down at his hands. “That’s what Rangiku said. Built guy? Anger management issues? Super short high and tight Mohawk cut? Sternritter H. That’s his serial number listed on the assignment sheet as your partner. She looked him up in the system using her access.” He fiddled with his coffee cup sleeve.

“That guy is my partner? He’s the Sternritter? But I’ve been sparring with him for a couple weeks. He introduced himself as Black. Buzzard Black. He’s been kicking my ass since the first day we trained. Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Did you tell him who you were? Maybe he thought you were just a random cadet or something.”

Renji didn't say anything in response. Thinking back, he probably didn’t introduce himself to Bazz-B when they started sparring. He also didn’t sign up to spar in advance, he was much too lazy to do that. He just showed up and went at it with whoever was there. He just tried harder to get that guy as a partner when he did show up.

Izuru looked at him. “What’s next? He doesn’t hate you yet does he? I thought he liked you so far.”

Renji thought about that for a moment and stared at his melting frappucino. “Well he calls me ‘eyebrows’.”

Izuru looked at him steadily. “And that’s supposed to be a positive?”

Renji gestured at his forehead lamely. “Eyebrows. You know because of my tattoos.”

Izuru just looked at him and shook his head slowly. “Of course. Sure. He’s your new best friend. Can I call you ‘eyebrows’ now too?”

+++

Renji was slouched in the desk at the back of the instruction session room. He was desperately trying to follow the presentation on the screen and take notes at the same time.

Drift Instructor Ishida was whipping the group through the ‘basics’ but the problem was no-one had ever heard any of this drifting science or math before. Everyone was trying to keep up.

One poor guy was actually starting to cry, head in his hands and everything. Woman next to the guy offering him Kleenexes and soft pats on the back. Ishida was studiously ignoring the sobbing and continued on with the session.

Renji’s focus left the instructor and his impenetrable logic graphs. His wandering eye noticed that the guy sitting in front of the weeper was his ex-sparring partner. His hair was a bit longer now but it was definitely him.

After Renji had shot his mouth off about Sternritters just that one time, he hadn’t really wanted to spar quite so much on A-6. He was afraid to face the guy he guessed.

This was a small base. He was pretty sure the guy had already heard the entire spiel from any number of Renji’s colleagues whether they were present at the ‘incident’ or not had never stopped anyone. Plus gossip had a way of ratcheting up whatever the story started out as. Although the ‘incident’ was pretty spectacular even for Renji’s bad behavior it was pretty bad.

Izuru had told him he was an idiot and he better talk to Bazz-B sooner rather than later. Renji ignored that advice. Izuru in turn ignored him for a week and a half.

Captain Kuchiki had handed down a punishment for 5 days loss of wages and 4 days restricted to his barracks. If he got any other disciplinary actions, ever, he’d lose his pilot session rating.

There were no substitutions on pilot assignments unless a fatality or catastrophic injury occurred to one or both individuals. International Drifting Regulations. Section 415. Paragraph 7. He was stuck with Bazz-B.

Renji pulled on the end of his braid hard. Shit he had screwed up. He tuned back in for Ishida asking them to be smarter tomorrow or he would remove them all from the program. So now the session was over for today and he had missed the entire last half of the lecture. Renji looked down the session room aisle and then sat up a bit taller in his seat.

Bazz-B was standing in the aisle with his arms crossed over his chest looking right at Renji like he wanted to have some words.

Renji hated those kind of ‘words’ but he knew what was expected of him. He drew himself up tall and grabbed his stuff from the desk. He started down the stairs head up, chin out, heading for where the Sternritter was waiting for him with murder in his eye.

+++

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” Bazz-B’s nostrils were flaring but he looked relatively calm. “You think I’m going to sit around and wait for you to die so I can get a better drift partner? Should I just kill you now instead?”

Bazz-B had Renji slammed up against the wall and his face was about 5 cm from Renji’s. One big hand around Renji’s neck, the other flat against his chest holding him almost right off the floor.

“Uh, if I could breathe maybe I could answer that.”

Bazz-B dumped him, letting go abruptly. “I’m still going to kill you. Now or later I’ll get rid of you. What did you do to get this posting? I want a better partner than you dirtbag.”

Renji rubbed uselessly at his neck. “Okay. Okay. I was initially unsure about you. I didn’t connect the sparring guy to the Sternritter guy. My bad. Then it was like an April Fool’s joke. On me.”

“So? I don’t care if you like me or are scared of me or whatever. You can’t do the job. Why are you in it?”

“I graded in. I passed the tests. I should be here.”

“Ahem. Gentlemen.” Both of them turned their heads around towards the small polite cough from behind them.

Renji snapped to attention, arms at his sides. “Captain Kuchiki, sir.”

Bazz-B stood up straighter but still didn’t salute. He kind of nodded at Kuchiki with his chin.

“Problem here?” Kuchiki looked pretty pissed from where Renji was standing. Bazz-B didn’t appear to care.

Waving a gloved hand, Captain Kuchiki indicated holes in the hallway walls and a smashed glass window in a session room door.

Bazz-B grinned toothily. “We were having a discussion. You know Cap’t, pilots can have quite a volatile relationship working out issues that drifting can trigger.”

Renji just stared straight ahead, standing at attention, calming his ragged breathing, clenching his fists.

“Fascinating you say that Black. You haven’t had any drifting yet. The Phase 1 candidates can only attempt the drift after more background and training is completed. Work it out or you both will be out of the program.”

Kuchiki nodded at Renji, “At ease. Could you try any harder to be written up for this? You’ll be out of the program right now if I choose that path. Will that solve your problems Abarai?”

“And you, Black. Calm down. You are a pilot project in more ways than one for us.” Kuchiki looked intently at them both and continued, “I have an idea. So I am going to make a schedule suggestion to Drift Instructor Ishida.”

Kuchiki turned to Bazz-B, “Black. If Renji is suspended or removed from the program you will not be eligible for a new co-pilot candidate.”

He addressed them both. “Control yourselves gentlemen until my suggestion either succeeds or fails.”

Only after the Captain had glided away down the hall did Renji fall to his knees gasping, hands at his throat.

That’s when Bazz-B kicked him right in the stomach with a hard boot. “He’s going to suggest that we ramp up the schedule for our drift compatibility exercises. And you little fucker, you better watch out when I’m in your head. I don't work with mediocre.”

Renji went down on all fours heaving. You just wait until you’re in my head you asshole. Just wait.


	2. Digital Get Down

Inside the Conn-Pod, Renji was sitting still on the edge of the drifting platform. Already in his heavy gear, he was just staring at the sight in front of him.

Bazz-B was kneeling awkwardly in front of the platform. He looked like he was stuck in the drifting equipment. Renji was trying to suppress his giggles. He wished he had his phone to take a photo of this.

In the Jaeger, Renji had pretty much ignored Bazz-B while struggling with his own tech. He had gotten the sync chest plate on, gloves and helmet connected OK, heard Izuru in his ear, checked his feet and only then he had looked up when he heard the cursing next to him.

Bazz-B had gotten screwed up getting his gear on. His chest plate was shifted backwards, keeping his arms behind him. Already on his knees from trying to get it off, Bazz-B was tottering dangerously, looking like he was going to fall flat on his face. Then the cursing cut off. His chin plate had slipped up covering his mouth and neck. All Renji could hear was muffled angry spluttering.

“Abarai? Abarai? What’s going on? Everyone okay up there? Ichimaru is ready for lift off once you are both connected. But I don’t have Black online yet.” Izuru was sounding a bit frantic in his ear.

Renji, trying not to choke on his laughter, leaned forward, “Hey buddy. You need a hand?” If looks could kill, Renji would have been incinerated on the spot.

“Hey, hey, buddy. No issue here. No harm no foul.” Renji clanked slowly over towards Bazz-B, gloved hands held out in front, open, as if approaching a dog you aren’t entirely sure is friendly. “Can I help you out here? Let me just-”

Renji yanked hard on the chest plate opening the gasket and removing the engineered spine connection, then spun the plate over to the right side. Renji used his bulk to keep Bazz-B down for a minute, flipping him over.

Kneeling on Bazz-B’s chest, Renji grinned down and winked at him “So Kira, I think Bazz-B has a connection problem here. He’s working on getting connected more securely. Hang on a minute.” Izuru was talking at him in his ear. Renji didn’t say a word about Bazz-B’s current state.

Using both hands, Renji reached around Bazz-B’s face and reconnected him properly at the nape of his neck. Then he hauled the faceplate down and propped him back up on his feet, freeing Bazz-B’s arms.

Renji looked down efficiently working on connecting the plugs and then up directly into Bazz-B’s right eye. Too close. Much too close.

“OK then.” He backed off quickly clanking back over to his spot on the left of the platform. His partner was a shade of purple Renji hadn’t seen on a human before.

Glaring, Bazz-B gave himself a full body shake, stretched his arms out and tapped all the parts of his drift gear with his gloved hands. He clunked over to the right connection bay and stepped up to the platform. “Shit I hate you.”

“Same to you buddy.”

Izuru was back in Renji’s ear. “Ichimaru is ready for you now that Black is on line. Are you ready Abarai?”

“Kira stop fucking asking us if we are ready.” Bazz-B still looked pissed but his voice sounded more like himself.

“Thank you Black. I’ll take that as a yes. Do your startup routine, I'll check it from here. Kira over.”

They started to run through the startup checklist. Renji didn’t bother to gloat. That could have easily been him, and Bazz-B would have just let him lay there.

They kicked in their feet and started the data connection session. After Izuru had finalized the list he signed off and they heard the transport helicopter commander in their ears.

“Ah boys. Ichimaru here. Nice to see you are getting along so well. Hang on gentlemen. You may experience a little turbulence.”

The Jaeger lurched to the side sharply at that. Renji adjusted ok. Bazz-B didn’t seem to have connected his feet properly. More cursing. Their displays indicated they were in fact airborne.

Ichimaru continued. He sounded like he was laughing. “We are taking Tacit Ronin out somewhere you will only kill yourselves if you fuck up.”

The sinuous voice in his comms again. “And boys? Do not connect until I set you down. I repeat. No drifting until you are disengaged from the convoy. I intend on returning home in one piece today.”

Renji muted his mike to control. “Hey Black. You know this guy?”

“Ichimaru? No not really. He screwed up and lost his Jaeger pilot ticket. He lost Orion Sabre in ‘27. Piloting with Aizen screwed him up. You’ll be working for him pretty soon I’m sure, hauling my pretty ass out to fights.” Bazz-B was focused on the displays.

Renji gritted his teeth. Your pretty ass will get kicked not mine.

He clicked back into control. “Yes sir Ichimaru sir. Understood.”

+++

They were standing in a lagoon. The transport delivery was certainly smooth, he’d have to give Ichimaru that.

Tacit Ronin was just standing and had been for a while. They were stalled getting started. Izuru was talking them through the initial drift sync but Bazz-B was proving difficult.

“Jesus man.” Renji had enough. “Black, just do it. You did it in the simulator. Just do it now.”

“This isn’t the simulator. I don’t want to lose my mind. Especially to you.”

“You don't have one to lose. Shut up and just do it. Listen to Izuru and get on with it. You have to drop first. You’re the right side.”

Bazz-B clutched his right glove into a fist, one finger at a time. “Together, we drop together into the drift.”

Renji braced himself. “Don’t watch my personal shit when you’re in there.”

Bazz-B snorted and said, “Your shit is just that. Shit. Keep your mind empty like it always is and I won’t even know I’m in there. You can’t handle my personal shit so keep out of mine.”

Izuru broke in to their conversation, “So you need to stop your noise. Black. Abarai. Stop squabbling for now. We need to test your neural handshake before we start. I need you both to clear your minds.”

Renji took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was cold in the Conn-Pod, but they were both wearing about 35 kilos of equipment and had already been out here for hours. Renji was nervous. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back and the sides of his face.

Bazz-B was standing in the equipment with eyes closed. His face pointed up and away from the displays. He seemed calm.

Izuru continued on in his quiet way. “Begin the drift please Rangers. Avoid chasing the rabbit and you will both be fine.”

+++

Izuru’s voice caught the edge of Renji’s consciousness. “You will both need to verbally direct your actions to cue each other once now you are in your sync headspace.” His vision sharpened and he could see the Conn-Pod displays again.

Renji looked over at Bazz-B. “Shit that was psychedelic. Is that what drift connection feels like every time?”

“Shut up. Lets move this thing.” Bazz-B was looking straight ahead at the graphics. He looked oddly intense and wouldn’t look at Renji.

Izuru asked them to move the Jaeger. “Try the arm first.” He suggested. “They recommend the right for the initial formation attempt. Black?”

Bazz-B moved and the Jaeger raised its giant arm. Renji felt like cheering. “Left. Abarai you’re on.”

Renji tried thinking about moving his arm, his left arm, raising it up and then, “It worked!” He crowed as the Jaeger moved its left arm high in the air. Bass-B shot him a look of disgust.

Izuru interrupted, his voice cracking with the implied urgency. “Move your feet gentlemen or the Jaeger’s going to go over and down. Quickly please.”

Both pilots worked the pedals on the sync platform. The Jaeger looked like it was about to go down flailing and then somehow they righted themselves. Sloppily done but they were upright.

Silent now with concentration, Renji found he was slipping into Bazz-B’s head after all. Arm, arm, leg, foot, kick, arm. Balancing on one leg. Raising up one arm. Lowering a leg. They almost fell but managed to remain upright and steady.

Then Izuru had them take the Tacit Ronin through actual scripted attack patterns. Slash, strike, kick. Moving forward. Moving backwards. Bazz-B named his moves. Renji was reduced to voicing a sort of inarticulate grunting as the session continued. Bazz-B seemed to know what he meant.

They had somehow managed to get the Jaeger into a functioning running mode when Izuru finally ended the session. Renji was completely wrung out. He didn’t have anything to say. His mind was finally completely blank. He felt so high.

Tacit Ronin was standing still again. Renji felt like he was still moving.

His inner stillness cracked when Ichimaru got on the line, “Okay. So far so good. You didn’t break anything yet. I’m coming in to pick you up and bring you home from your date boys. You sure you don’t want to walk home?”

“Kira here. Negative on that Ichimaru. Please continue as planned with the helicopter unit pickup and return.” Izuru came back on the comms to run them through the return checklist. “Rangers. Please indicate your current state. Black?”

“Check. Good to go.”

“And Abarai?”

 “Uh. Yeah. Izuru. This feels wild.”

Izuru laughed. “Black. You’ll be the lead this time for the cross check. Abarai, give your head a shake. Okay both of you please follow the steps as instructed for your preparation for Tacit Ronin’s return to the Shatterdome Kyoto. I’ll walk you both through them. Let’s get started. Ichimaru should be there in twenty for the lock on.”

Renji closed his eyes and sort of hung in the sync equipment for a moment still feeling the drift and their shared headspace ebb away.

Izuru continued in his soft tone, “I have some observations I’d like to go over with you both when you return to the Shatterdome. Please see me when the Conn-Pod exit cross check has been completed and your drift equipment has been reviewed by the Engineering Equipment Officer. Kira over.”

Renji opened his eyes with a start. Damn. Izuru had noticed.

+++

“So Rangers. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? You are aware that I am monitoring all your vitals including heart rate and all communications in the Conn-Pod? And are you aware that Engineer Kira is duty bound to report any findings directly to me.” Captain Kuchiki didn’t look entirely surprised at their lack of response.

Izuru was not entirely sure how this had happened. He had booked a conference room for the conversation with Renji and Bazz-B to talk about what he had noticed. They were just sitting down when Captain Kuchiki swept in and sat down. An expectant look on his face stating imperiously,“Kira, continue.”

Izuru looked down at the notes on his tablet. “During the exercises I noticed that you are both exhibiting some elements of modesty reflex. In fairness, this was the Rangers’ first actual drift session in the Jaeger, Captain.”

Bazz-B didn’t say a word.

Renji just looked down at his hands on the table.

“Kira. Please tell them what you noted.”

Izuru turned to the Captain. Something soundless passed between them that Renji didn’t quite catch.

“Ranger Black. Your neural handshake with Ranger Aberai is leveled off at 67%. Ranger Abarai’s is a bit lower at 54%. That’s pretty low, even for a first attempt but the main problem was the modesty reflex source of the drift deficiency.” Izuru turned again to Captain Kuchiki.

“Continue Kira.”

“So. The source of the deficiency in the drift connection for Ranger Black seems not to be sexual, but based in an intention or latent plan to kill Marshall Haschwalth.”

Renji just looked at him. Thank god that freak had something actually horrible in his connection barriers that might take the heat off-

“Continue Kira.”

“And Ranger Abarai.” Oh shit.

Izuru looked a little embarrassed. “Abarai. You have a strong sexual attraction to Ranger Black that was right on the cusp of causing you to RABIT. This stalling first occurred 47 minutes into the exercises.”

What the ever loving fuck. Renji snuck a look up at Izuru. He gave Renji a sliver of a look right back with a completely straight face behind his long bangs.

Thank the gods it was just Izuru peeling back his mind. Cause Bazz-B's ass wasn’t at all what almost caused him to stick in his thoughts and crash the fucking robot.

Renji figured he could just roll with it. “Well then. That’s not a surprise is it? He is pretty good looking you know. And I’m not exactly shy. I guess thanks for sharing that with him. Uh. Sir.”

Renji choked a bit, trying not to laugh. “And. Uh. Sir? His problem seems worse than mine.”

Bazz-B laughed. “Is that all? Yeah. I want to kill the Marshall. I’ve wanted to kill him for a long time. He’s a Sternritter.” Bazz-B waved his hand in Renji’s direction. “I can work with any horny idiot and I won’t kill Haschwalth. Yet. I can promise you that.”

Captain Kuchiki tapped his fingertips on the table. “Calm yourselves Rangers. Are you going to be able to work together? Your drift connection needs to be stronger. You did test out as being compatible statistically. But that may mean nothing if you cannot work together effectively.”

Bazz-B pushed his luck. “How was our performance otherwise? Did we do all the tricks you wanted to see for our cherry run in Tacit Ronin?”

Renji was impressed with Bazz-B’s attitude. The Kuchiki normally shut all that nonsense down pretty fast.

Captain Kuchiki flattened his hand on the table with a sharp slap. “These exercises today were not a success. You both will need to negotiate the headspace as you see fit in future. You both need to improve the neural handshake if you want to be successful. Your drifting start today was shaky and illformed.”

He paused to glare at them both. “And it looks like your headspace consensus expression will be one I am uninterested in knowing the details of, as it should be.”

He placed his other hand on the table more delicately, palms flat and hands pointed at the rangers in front of him. “Kira, arrange for Kuchiki Rukia to join Rangers Abarai and Black for an observation and discussion meeting. As soon as her schedule allows.”

Renji closed his mouth with a snap and shot a glance at Izuru. Nothing. Not even a hint from that so-called friend of his this time.

+++


	3. Just Don’t Tell Me That

“So you know her?” Bazz-B was looking at Renji funny from across the conference room table. Renji, Bazz-B and Izuru were waiting for Lieutenant Kuchiki to show up. She was going to talk to them about keeping the drift working. Renji personally thought they would need more than just a conversation to fix that connection.

Izuru sighed dramatically. Renji looked up at his interjection. “Yeah. Of course I know her. We went to the same school.”

Bazz-B arched an eyebrow. “Really. You, tattooed dirtbag, are a close friend of the Kuchikis?”

“Yeah. Sure. Rukia I went to school with. Her brother the Kuchiki prince, no I don't know him. Not at all. Didn’t you see all that stuff when you were snooping in my memories?”

Izuru sighed again and waved with one hand. “Hello? Can you quit the bickering for a bit? Rukia’s going to talk to you about the modesty reflex and some other things that are lowering your effectiveness as drift compatible pilots.”

Bazz-B made a face.

“She’s a very talented Ranger.” Kira tried again. “The Kuchikis have been a very effective Jaeger team for a while.”

Bazz-B leaned back, tilting the chair onto two legs. “How could she not be ‘talented.’ It’s that brother of hers. Byakuya’s the power behind that team isn’t he? He could pilot Sakura Intercept solo probably. She’s the fake Kuchiki right? Not Kuchiki by blood. And he’s enough of an asshole to manage it on his own.”

“Who’s an asshole? Renji? Hey Kira thanks for the invitation. I take it the loudmouth over there is Bazz-B.” Rukia had come in the conference room while Bazz-B was running his mouth.

Bazz-B’s chair hit the floor with a thump.

Rukia sat down at the table in a rustle of flight suit and a pale silk pashmina scarf. She reflexively touched the pale half gloves the Kuchikis wore as part of their gear. She opened her tablet and scrolled through something onscreen.

Renji sat up straighter and ran a hand through his hair. “Lieutenant Kuchiki, you had time to meet us. Uh. Thanks.”

Rukia shook her head at him, “Of course I did. I made time. Why’s your hair down? You look terrible.”

She looked a bit closer at Renji’s face. “Hey, nice shiner you got there buddy. Courtesy of your partner Black here? That’s a typical drift hangover behavior from Jaeger virgins. If you are a guy anyway.”

She looked over at Bazz-B. “But seriously, I’m not too impressed with your individual scores. I though you had tested for higher predicted stats. You have an explanation for your crappy performance?” She eyed Bazz-B expectantly and tapped her tablet.

He looked at her but didn’t offer any explanation. “Never apologize, never explain Lieutenant.” He said in a low voice.

“You must be super fun to work with. No I really mean it.” She continued, “You don’t have to be lovers, you just have to get along. You prepared for this discussion Black?”

Bazz-B slouched down lower in his chair. “I’m prepared to be bored Kuchiki.”

“Nice. Thanks for that Black. Very professional, you really are an idiot. Your reputation precedes you.” Rukia smirked at Bazz-B.

“Kira gave me the recording of your training event Sternritter ‘H’. Can you talk to me about what was going on at minute 45? At minute 47? Either of you?”

Kira slid over a printout towards Bazz-B and Renji’s side of the table. They both looked down with faces like stone. Renji really did not want to talk with Rukia about what had happened at minute 45 of the drifting event. Or about the fistfight after the exercise debrief with Captain Kuchiki was concluded.

Rukia laughed. She laughed right in their red embarrassed faces. “You boys are so uptight. Unbelievable. You won’t have any secrets from each other. How you deal with it is up to you. Embarrassment is counterproductive.”

She tapped her tablet. “So Black. You aren’t attracted to Renji. And you don’t seem to have any odd sexual proclivities…”

Renji added under his breath, “That we know of yet.” He felt a sharp pain in his shin. That fuck had just kicked him in the leg under the table. He didn’t want to look up at Bazz-B’s stupid grinning face.

“But I hear your modesty reflex was kicking in hard when your death wish for the Marshall showed up. Your trying to camouflage those thoughts is what had such a sharp negative effect on Renji’s drift compatibility connection with you at that moment.”

Rukia talked about the negative effects of trying to manipulate your own memories. She suggested techniques for avoiding over monitoring your partner’s access. She drew diagrams on her tablet. Renji could have sworn some of the symbols looked like bunnies.

She reiterated that the sharing of what most people consider to be private thoughts was involuntary and inevitable but the partner’s reaction to them was what was manageable.

She talked about techniques for releasing a memory while the drifter was teetering on the edge of getting mired in it. How a pilot works to avoid latching on to the memory and chasing the rabbit.

“You will share each other’s memories intensely. Without any choice. In fact you will find that you can become able to communicate, in some way, with each other without the need for words. Even outside of the Jaeger drift equipment.”

Rukia flashed briefly on her own pivotal crisis scene stolen from her brother’s awful morass of memories. She still could feel the sharp and penetrating humiliation her brother had experienced as a child as if it was her own memories of an event from before she was born.

She had gotten stuck on that particular memory during their second drift event. The vision of Ginrei, Byakuya’s father, screaming at a shaking kneeling Byakuya. Ginrei’s eyes wide and face contorted with rage in the memory a vision crackling with green flames.

That had been her first RABIT event, and it occurred while Sakura Intercept had been in a close combat fight with a Category III Kaiju. Byakuya had piloted solo for a portion of the fight until she could break out of it. She had almost killed both of them.

“How do I block him out?”

“Abarai I’m hurt you feel this way.” Bazz-B was grinning at him with that stupid look on his face, rubbing the bruised knuckles of one hand.

Renji didn’t care. He was looking at Izuru. He didn’t want to talk to Bazz-B or Rukia either for that matter.

“What do I do to make it just work. To drive the Jaeger. Use the equipment. Fight the Kaiju. I just want to do the moves but sever the connection. I don't need to be in his head.”

Renji thought his voice was becoming a little more strident. He breathed out through his nose. Shitty pilates breathing but it was working.

Izuru looked mournfully at him. “You can’t block him out Renji. You were selected as a Jaeger pilot because you tested out successfully together as a pair. Both of you connected. Without your successful drift connection, the Jaeger technology just doesn’t work.”

Rukia broke in, “Renji don’t be an idiot. You can contact the EAP any time you need to complain to someone about how your training is proceeding.”

She looked at him squarely. “Or that he doesn’t love you.“

Then she nodded at them both. “You both are screwed up. You and Bazz-B have sparring sessions, drift practice, theory seminars, not to mention actual missions. You are going to have to engage again. This isn't about you and you gave up your privacy when you signed on.”

She looked at them intently. The Kuchiki stare.

She went over the physical equipment process of drifting. Izuru added some tips and statistics. They discussed the sharing of the movements, with the dominant side being the right, and how the engineering creates the movements and reactions in the Jaeger.

Rukia talked about all the known psychological effects of the shared syncing.

“Don't forget you both are moving through standard noted stages for the initial period of training. Step one is your drift practice. Step two is your appointment for anger management issues. All Rangers have these issues at the beginning. They aren’t special for you two assholes.”

“And what if he burns out his brain during an exercise?” Bazz-B motioned towards Renji with his chin. “Is he going to take me down too? Like those clowns Ichimaru and Aizen?”

Renji tossed her head, and snorted, “Nobody burned out their brains. They couldn’t stay compatible in the drift. They got their ticket pulled and they got reassigned out of the Rangers.”

Izuru said softly, “Our Jaeger program is just too important to spend time working on what could be considered a lost cause.”

Rukia continued on in her stern voice. “I want to stress, your progress as we see it here is not fatal. But you have to realize that the program is too expensive and critical to our survival to suffer fools screwing up.”

Rukia continued talking about techniques to avoid rabbiting. How they would need to actually get along while they were working. She looked at them as if she knew what they would say when she asked them questions about their attempts.

Of course she could see inside their heads. Renji nodded to himself. She already had successfully managed to learn to drift. With the Kuchiki. That would be impossible for a lesser mortal.

Rukia was winding up. “I think we are done here. Kira, you can schedule another meeting if you want one. Talk to your drift instructor Ishida, he knows everything.”

Rukia stood up and flipped her scarf over her shoulder. “I think you jerks can be a strong team but you have to make it through these first growing pains in your drift relationship. Or you’ll both be discharged from the program.”

She said earnestly, “I think you can make it but you have to make it together. Try not to kill each other before you get there. You know you both can be one of our strongest teams if you just try harder.” She swept out the door and down the hall. Just like her brother. But shorter.

Renji stayed in his seat. Bazz-B took off immediately without a word.

Izuru got up. “You going to come down to the lounge with me? I want to meet up with Rangiku. And I think you need a break from your partner.”

Renji stared at his knuckles. “I have a sparring session booked in 45 in the vault on A-6.”

Izuru paused, “With who? Bazz-B?”

“Captain Ichimaru.”

++++

Izuru hadn’t been impressed with Renji’s choice of sparring partners. But he didn’t bother to try and change Renji’s mind. They had been friends for a long time.

If Renji had been smarter he would have agreed to go for drinks with Rangiku.

Renji had stopped by his room to grab his stuff. There was a note under the clip on his door. It had a marker drawn rabbit face grinning at him. He figured it was from Rukia. Renji rested his head on the cool outer door. He wasn’t going to read it. She didn’t understand. She already had the drift sync figured out. She wasn’t going to lose her spot.

Inside his room he tossed the note on his bed and grabbed his bag and his bo. He wanted to be early for this practice.

As he made his way to A-6 he thought about what he wanted to ask Captain Ichimaru Gin. And how to ask it.

He didn’t really know Captain Ichimaru. He knew him by sight and had heard him on the comms but had never worked with him in person. Izuru knew him. Before and after the breakdown with Aizen. Izuru knew him actually quite well.

Renji had used Izuru’s name to get Gin to agree to the sparring today. He had babbled out some nonsense and Gin had just smiled inscrutably and nodded, his eyes hidden behind his pale bangs and his grin oddly slapped on his face.

“Ah one of Kira’s amici. You know last night I dreamed I went to Mandalay again.” Gin said in his drawl.

“Pardon me Captain?”

“Oh nothing Abarai. Don’t mind me at all. Of course I’ll meet you. Bring your bo. We’ll do some jodo I think. I think that will assist you with your training. It is certainly not your job to open the gate.”

Renji stood still a bit confused. “Sure. I’ll bring it. Did you want to use the vault? I have a conference booked before that.”

“Sure. Sure. That’s a good plan ragazzo.”

Captain Ichimaru pushed off from the wall he had been slouching against. He tugged on the sleeves of his track suit and walked past Renji.

“Arrivederchi ragazzo alto con i capelli rossi. I do think I need a good workout. You’ll do fine. Don’t bring Kira. Piu tardi a A-6. Hair up.”

Renji stood in the hallway for a while and had some deep doubts about what he had just agreed to.


	4. Space Cowboy

Renji was stretching his legs out, bent double, head flat on his knees and holding his toes when Captain Ichimaru appeared in front of him carrying a pink Hello Kitty school bag.

“Greetings Abarai!” He said happily setting the bag down with a clank by Renji in front of the vault. Gin pushed his pale bangs back from his face and smiled at Renji. “I see that you want no-one to witness your lesson today. The vault is a very good idea if that is so.”

He waved back at the group of startled cadets and students currently staring at them curiously. He turned to Renji, looking down squinting. “Ah raggazo. Hair up. No Kira and a private room. What more could a man ask of his beloved?”

Renji got up quickly, “Captain Ichimaru, let me unlock the door for us. I got the code from the purser.”

The vault was a high ceilinged sparring space off the open gym floor that had no windows and was soundproofed. It offered combatants some privacy for certain types of fights. The doors would unlock at the end of the booking but no-one would be able to disturb the fighters until then.

Renji hadn’t had the nerve to ask Bazz-B to a sparring in the vault. He was vaguely afraid that Bazz-B would just kill him to get it over with.

He moved to the side of the vault entrance, entering the code on the touch panel to slide the fusuma panels aside. Painted to look like traditional indoor sliding doors, the metal sections thunked heavily into the wall as they slid open.

He didn’t know why this sparring match was freaking him out. He stared down at the painted panels. A white furred monkey sat in a hot springs in the lower portion of the painting. A small silver fox looked out of a woodland scene in the top right.

He turned back to pick up his stuff and walked into the vault to get started. He was wearing the Jinbei pants he liked to spar in. He tossed his shirt in the little alcove with the gear bag and his sparring shoes. He didn’t want shoes this time.

He had wanted to talk to Captain Ichimaru. Before the sparring started. To ask what it had felt like to not connect in the Conn-pod. To ask what had happened between Adjutant Aizen and the Captain. What it felt like when it wasn’t smooth and easy. To ask what it felt like now, having undergone that ordeal. And to ask how he could avoid it.

Renji walked to the corner of the big square lined out on the mat. He gripped his bo loosely in his hand. He bounced a little on his toes. He turned and began the bowing to his opponent that most matches began with.

Captain Ichimaru attacked almost as soon as the fusuma had slid shut. He had dropped the pink bag to the floor and quickly snapped together a weird looking metal bo with one hand. Renji tasted that odd flexible rod almost immediately across the back of his legs. Ichimaru didn’t waste time on any formal start to the fight.

“So Abarai, call me Gin please.” Whack. Renji managed to parry the blow with his forearm and stand up fully on both feet. “I will address you as Renji here. I hate formality.” Gin stepped back and was unzipping his tracksuit jacket with one hand. He shrugged it off to the floor. He was wearing an undershirt. An old man undershirt.

Gin was wiry. Lean muscle and tall. His stance was wide legged but appeared solid. That bo was odd. Gin hadn’t stopped smiling or squinting at him. He used his free hand to brush his bangs to one side.

They were both in tabi. Renji felt off balance and the mat was too slippery. He decided he needed better traction. He closed in on Gin, bo upright, and shoved him hard. Then Renji stepped on the big toe of his own tabi with the opposite heel and pulled back the foot. Success, one sock off.

“So Renji. You have something you want to discuss, yes?”

“I wanted to know-“ Gin lunged suddenly using the length of his bo and Renji felt a crackling pain flow down his arm at the elbow.

“You wanted to know how it feels to have your brain ravaged by another, yes?” Gin was close. Renji blocked a swipe from the side. Crack. That hurt.

Gin kept talking. “Ah so you know that anything can be parried from the side. Very nice.” Another hard smooth strike to his other elbow. “You can use that very successfully in the Jaeger you know.”

As the fight progressed Renji had screwed up after a successful sweep takedown and gotten a major strike from Gin to bloody the knuckles of both his hands. Gin got in too close, his bo travelling down Renji’s and the staves struck each other.

He was regretting that approach with every movement he had made since. His fingers were grazed in a way that made holding the bo tightly a challenge.

Gin made idle conversation while beating the crap out of him. Renji had lost concentration more than once, lost in the morass of the chitchat that always sounded like Gin was laughing at him about something.

“So the tattoos are for what? A pretty wrapper for a small amuse-bouche? So tough looking Renji.” Gin’s next strike connected with the tattoos on one shoulder, then whacked the other side just as hard.

Gin hadn’t stopped squinting or smiling. And he never lost his breath from the exertion of whipping Renji’s ass in this fight.

He had taken a hard strike on the back of his thigh that felt like it had broken the skin. Must have been the tip of the bo goring him, he could feel a trickle down the back of his leg that didn’t feel like sweat. Gin’s earlier hits still burned everywhere else.

“Did you rip my pants Captain Ichimaru? I love these pants.” Renji was starting to sound breathy. He knew he was losing his momentum.

He had given Gin a good hit on the forearm. Gin had dropped his oddly short looking bo momentarily and Renji had taken advantage to kick him hard in the hip. He had been aiming at knees but the guy was too fast.

“I had said earlier to call me Gin.”

Gin kicked him hard on the front of his thigh, concentrating on trying to take him down. Renji swatted at him with the staff to get some space back.

“And Renji. Before I forget. They may love you but you will never find out in this lifetime.”

Renji cursed and using the bo as a spear came down hard on the mat where Gin used to be standing.

“Not that Sternritter oaf ‘H’. The Kuchiki.” Gin danced just out of his range.

Renji grunted with irritation. “Mind your own business.” Gin blocked his next strike and parry.

Gin continued on in the same tone. Making a painful direct hit on Renji’s forearm. “Oh and I mean the Captain, not the Lieutenant in case the pronouns weren’t clear.”

"Mind your own business about the Captain."

“But yet you wanted to talk about my business? That doesn’t seem exactly fair.”

Renji had wanted to ask about Aizen. Was the pairing fine at the start or had it always been soured. Had they had any successes that were lost in the gossip about the failures.

Renji crouched warily on the mat. Man that guy was fast. They had been sparring for a while, but they were starting to slow it down. Renji felt like he was holding his own but maybe he was making that up. His arms were starting to feel like lead.

Gin was down to his odd fundoshi boxers and still in tabi. He didn’t look like he had been already sparring for at least an hour. He only had a straight purple bruise line across his bicep and across one wrist.

Gin had a few finger marks on his throat. Renji didn't recall trying to strangle Gin but he had tried to make more space by bodily throwing the slighter man. Aside from those small injuries, Gin looked unruffled.

Renji was sweating buckets. He was dying. His hair had fallen out of his braid already. His bangs were stuck to his forehead with sweat. He had hair in his mouth.

Gin had shoved him down kneeling and pressed him back into the mats with his bo. Gin was hissing in Renji’s ear. “You need more space. Make space and you will survive the drift connection.”

Renji was trying to catch his breath and vainly scrabbling for his own weapon on the mat with rapidly numbing fingers.

Gin nailed him right in the kidneys with a sharp knee. “I recommend something like this little tune, ‘Camptown Races sing this song doo dah, doo dah.’”

Startled, Renji started to laugh. “What the fuck are you babbling about?”

He relaxed completely under Gin and lay on the mat laughing. “Sorry sir but what the hell?” He lost his grip on the sweaty bo completely.

Gin moved off him with what felt like a hard thumb in every sore spot and sat coolly cross-legged on the mat next to him. “Ear worm. You pick the worst most catchy song you know and when you start the drift you sing it in your head.” He grinned widely. “Gets them every time.”

Renji just lay on the mat giggling. “You serious? You killed Adjutant Aizen’s career with bad singing?”

“Hello from the other side.”

“That old Adele song? Gah. It hurts to laugh.” Renji curled up a bit to protect his aching abs.

“Actually Renji, I killed my own career.” Gin whistled a jaunty tune Renji couldn’t place at first.

Gin looked completely serious. Deadpan, but with a crazy wide grin. He nodded with his chin at the door to the open gym floor.

Renji clued in that someone was pounding on the doors to the vault. After some fast beeping the fusuma slid open and Izuru stuck his head in.

“Are you alive? No-one could get you to answer the intercom. You went overtime.” Izuru looked more irritated than actually worried. “What is your problem Renji?”

“My problem? We were sparring. There is no problem. I’m just going to lie here for a while if no-one else wants the room.” Renji was mentally cataloguing his aches. It was a long list.

Izuru continued, “Black called me. He thought there was a problem.”

“Do you want to build a snowman.” Gin said it softly under his breath almost. Izuru missed it completely.

Renji had hauled himself upright and stared at Gin. “Pardon me? Captain Ichimaru?”

“Black has already connected with you outside of the Jaeger. That’s why he sent Kira to you.” Gin collected his stuff and fluidly disconnected the sections of his silver bo, stashing it in the pink bag.

Then he shoved his white undershirt up to check his side. He drawled, “The song is from an old cartoon movie ‘Frozen’. Big hit at the time. Everyone knew the words.”

Renji noticed an old healed slash mark scar running just under Gin’s ribs below a small faded kamon tattoo of what looked a stylized fox.

“You fill their head with nonsense and they can’t delve into the files so to speak. It gives you the space you need.” Gin dropped his shirt, stepped forward and slid on his track pants over the old fashioned underpants. “Plus then they can't stop thinking about the ear worm. It is truly hilarious.” He picked up his white tracksuit jacket and gave it a little shake.

“So Renji. Come and see me any time ragazzo. Perhaps we have a little drink next time instead of the sparring session? Perhaps some karaoke?” Gin shook his head so his bangs drifted over and his eyes opened just a little, flashing a sliver of pale blue. His smile had never fallen. “Kira can join us. Yes?”

Izuru’s smile looked a bit tight but he nodded turning back to Gin. Something odd and unspoken passed between them.

Izuru said to Renji. “I’m going with Captain Ichimaru. You’re okay to get back?” Not really asking. “Did you need a medic?”

Renji shook his head ‘no’ and waved them both off. He wanted to think about what just happened. Black was already in his head it seemed. At least partially. Renji needed to think about that.

Gin handed off the pink bag for Izuru to carry. As they walked away, Renji could see the words ‘Aoba Johsai’ in light blue on the back of Gin’s tracksuit jacket. Yes, he thought. Captain Ichimaru was completely fucking nuts.


	5. Here we go

He kept flashing on a wooded area. Maybe at mid-day. He saw odd filtered sunlight, dense trees and a dusty cart track. A blond boy stood in the road holding something in his hands. Looking down on the boy as if from high up. Renji shook his head to clear it. The vision stayed. These weren't his memories. Get rid of them.

He fished out one of his earbuds off the clutter on his desk and swiped on the tunes on the phone in his hands. He stuck one of the earbuds in an ear. The tinny sounds drew him back to his actual surroundings from those woods. He'd need to get that stuff off his desk or he'd fail the next inspection. 

His tiny room felt overheated. Renji was stripped down to briefs, checking out his bruises from the sparring match. Somehow Captain Ichimaru hadn't actually hurt him in what felt like a very real fight. He felt expertly flayed. He wasn't sure how to approach Gin again. That fight had seemed easier than an actual conversation. But facts were facts. The Captain was a nutbag. Maybe Izuru could help get some answers out of him about how to manage the drift.

He didn't want to ask Ishida. That guy was frightening and did not appear to like him. Drift Instructor Ishida seemed to thrive on the suffering of his class. But he certainly wasn't going to ask either Kuchiki for help.

He didn't want to think about Captain Kuchiki. Black could be eavesdropping. Can't a guy just have a nice little work crush? Shit. He wasn't ever gonna date the guy. And he certainly wasn't the only one crushing on the force of will that was the pretty Kuchiki prince. 

If everyone was gonna fixate on his appreciation of the fine looking Captain Kuchiki let them. He had other things in his mind and past that were much more career killing. He'd do his damnedest to just leave all that shit where it belonged in the past.

Humming along with his music he sat on his bunk, shoving his gear bag out of the way under his desk with his foot.  He couldn't resist it. The pull of the fast bass line and double kick drumming. He whipped his wet hair, singing "That's the way I like it baby, I don't wanna live forever...And don't forget the jo-KER!"

He sat back, remembering not to smash his head yet again on the cupboards above.

Renji felt more than heard the paper he had sat on. He fished it off his regulation made bed. It was the note from his door. Rukia just couldn't leave it be he thought to himself. But then he noticed that it wasn't actually her writing on the note. He turned it around slowly in his hands. What he had initially thought had been a loopy rabbit drawn on the front changed into the poorly written name Bazz-B as his focus sharpened. Not Rukia then.

He opened the note with dread. Why did everyone think he had the hots for Black. Black was an ass and not really his type. Fucking knowitall. Why couldn't he have been paired with Shuhei or Isane. Shit he'd even take Iba as a partner. He hadn't pegged Black as a note writer.

The note didn't have much text just an almost unreadable sentence. He thought there was a number C-16 and 23:15 in splotchy inky writing. Renji checked his phone. He had only 40 minutes. Was that Bazz-B's quarters or some kind of meeting room? Renji hadn't spent much time on C level.

Bazz-B's note hadn't left him much time to get dressed. Why didn't he send a text or call him. God he felt like he was always running after people here. Renji pulled out his earbud and ran a hand through his hair, reaching for a hairclip with the other hand. He'd get dressed and head up there.

He'd have to puzzle out that cryptic sentence on his way over. Was it even in Japanese? The guy looked more Eurasian if anything. No real accent when he spoke the Japlish that everyone used in the dome. Maybe he couldn't write. That made Renji feel better. If he was voluntarily walking off to his fate with Black tonight at least he could write his own suicide note in nice legible handwriting.

++++

"Hey Abarai. I'm over here. Can't you read the note in your hands?" Black had stuck his head out of a door farther down the hall from where Renji was standing.

Renji looked up, frowning. "You have terrible writing. This says C-16."

"I'm not a writer. So sue me. It says C-13." That fucking grin again.

Renji looked at him. "Right. I couldn't read this," Renji pointed at the sentence. "What does that say? You love my hair products?"

“I asked you for help.” Bazz-B stood aside as Renji stepped into the cabin.

Renji forgot about the note completely when he looked around the room. He had to ask, "How come you have a real room?"

"I'm a Sternritter. I outrank most of this base." Bazz-B walked over to the armchair in front of the heavy carved wooden desk and sat down. "You want a drink? Get it yourself." He waved a gloved hand over at a retro bar in a globe on a stand. Decanters and heavy lead crystal glasses sat on a tray. Then he crossed one jodhpured leg over the other, booted foot on his knee.

"They don't just hang you upside down to sleep in some closet somewhere?"

"Cut the cute shit out Abarai."

Renji looked around the room. He found a hard looking chair off to the side and dragged it closer over what looked like an antique carpet. "Drinks maybe later when I know what you want." He sat. "So why is this so important to you? And by the way I think you are an idiot. I am gonna invoke Ranger privilege and not do all the genuflecting you seem to be so keen on other people doing based on your rank. I could be sleeping right now you know but I’m here because you asked so nicely."

Renji felt nervous but hoped he was covering it up okay. His training reflexes were to salute and stand up for this conversation and it was killing him to be so casual around a higher ranked officer.

Bazz-B asked, "So. I want to know why you are blocking me in the drift. What the hell is so bad that you don't want me seeing it? I want to kill your commander. You got something worse?"

Renji looked down at the scabs on his knuckles. "Don't matter now. It is in the past and it will stay there. So what's up with the woods?" Deflection.

Bazz-B looked irritated. "So it started already? This symbiotic parasitic twinning? Shit. Did you see the blond kid yet? That's Jugram when we were little."

Marshall Jugram Haschwalth, Sternritter 'B'. Renji thought about that for a bit.

Bazz-B asked, "Can we go back in time a bit in this partner thing? I liked sparring with you before I knew how much of a jerk you were."

"The computer thinks we are a great match. Why don't you?" Renji hoped he didn't sound too plaintive.

"You remind me of me." Bazz-B got up and went over to the globe bar. "You like this thing? I think it is tacky. Watch this." He flicked a switch somewhere and the globe lit up the ocean areas and began to turn slowly. He lifted a decanter off the tray and the globe slowed to a stop.

"You had me come up here for this? I was told to call EAP with my problems. Why you still moping? I'm a good partner. Good fighter. I can deal with the technical." Renji tried to sit still. “I thought the sparring was good too. Before I met you for real.” 

"So I want to kill Jugram because he betrayed me and he betrayed the Sternritters organization. I was ordered here to participate in this Jaeger exercise so I can die in a robot with you attached to my brain. Thanks to his political machinations with the Pan Pacific Defense Corps." Bazz-B was still fooling with his drink but it was really just cognac in a glass. He was fussing now with a drawer on the front of the globe, somewhere around Africa.

"So you won't tell me about the woods? Not that I really care about your memories even if Ishida claims it makes a difference to the psychic connection and sharing the engineering load. I'm not going to die fighting Jaegers. Or at least I don't care if I do."

Bazz-B turned around and squinted at Renji. "You don't care. So no ties or family to keep you alive? You are a cute catch for someone." He produced a thin black cigar and lit it. He offered the pretty little cigar box to Renji.

Renji sat up straight on his hard chair and shook his head no thanks to the smoke. "But I'll take a drink now though if you're handing them out."

Bazz-B handed him over a heavy glass and then perched on the edge of his desk. They drank in silence for a moment. Renji couldn't resist any longer. He broke the silence, "The woods."

Bazz-B exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "You are very focused man. I'll get to it. You know I never saw any attraction to me during that first mission. I just felt a lot of frustration, overcompensation for some class bullshit and an overwhelming need to achieve. You didn't seem to have any concrete memories floating around in that empty head."

"What do I need to see the woods for? It is coming up all the time since then. I can’t shake it."

"I heard you went full rounds on Captain Ichimaru."

"With Ichimaru. Not on. There is a difference. He completely kicked my ass in the vault."

"Well Renji, shouldn't be a surprise to you that you got beat. I did that ass kicking thing too." Bazz-B took a drag on his cigar. "But you know I was doing work in here and all of a sudden I felt like I needed to know where you were. That pissed me off. I had already left you a note to meet. But I felt like I was missing the connection. I couldn't find you so I called Kira. You guys are joined at the hip. I figured he'd know where you were."

Renji didn't answer. What was there to say. His connection was only starting to kick in now after the fight with Gin.

Bazz-B was frowning again, looking at nothing in the room, eyes unfocused for a moment. "That fucking freaked me out. I think Haschwalth did this on purpose to remove me as a threat. He knew I'd become weak once I linked with a Shinigami." Renji wasn't even sure Bazz-B was talking to him.

"What do you mean Shinigami? You talking about me?" Renji was holding his heavy empty glass uncomfortably in both hands. He'd finished the nice brandy already, the fine burning sensation settled around his middle under the uniform haramaki.

"You aren't born Quincies. We call you Shinigami or death knights. You never can reach our level. My organization should be in charge of this Jaeger operation. It shouldn't be handled by low level grunts like you. Although I did find out that Ishida is a Quincy but he can't teach you everything. Some things you have to be born to. Haschwalth has some idiotic plan but I don't think it will be a success."

"That's nice. You're a bigot. So what. I was looking for information about the drift connection from Captain Ichimaru. Not just insults from you."

"Ichimaru? Seems like a bad place to get information from. Captain Pick up and drop off."

"Only source I have at the moment."

It was Bazz-B's turn to think in silence.  Renji fidgeted and finally reached down to set his empty glass on the floor. The carpet was fancy dark wool with swirled patterns and designs and a long fringe. He noticed that the room had long dark heavy curtains that were closed.

"I first met Jugram in the woods. The Marshall. Marshall Haschwalth. We were just kids. Not Sternritters yet. Powerless. Alone. But I was supposed to be picked. Not him." Bazz-B got up and went back to the cognac bottle. He was talking to the globe.

"I was supposed to be the right hand. I had the strength. It was my destiny. But I couldn't get anyone to listen. They chose him instead."

Renji smirked. "You sound jealous. So he got your job. Big deal. So you would run this Jaeger program?"

Bazz-B's eyes glowed a little and he leaned forward, gloved hand gripped tightly around the glass. "No. Not this shitty little robot program. The Sternritter organization. I should have been the right hand of the Monarch of the Wandenreich-" His glass shattered in his grip.

Renji just laughed. "You need to grow a handlebar mustache and cultivate an evil laugh."

"Dipshit. I'm talking about serious stuff here." Bazz-B kicked at the glass on the carpet and then leaned over and set his cigar down on a large ashtray on his desk. He stood looking at the carpet absently with his hands on his hips. "They told me you took nothing seriously except the Kuchiki's ass.

"Hey hey, that's not entirely true and you know it having been in my head already." Renji was eying a comfortable looking couch across the room.

"You want to protect him, that is even more stupid than I expected from you. He doesn't need your help."

"How would you know? You just got here and we are just grunts doing grunt work. You've never even actually seen Sakura Intercept in action obviously." Renji sat back and stared at Bazz-B. "The Kuchikis are seamless as a pair. They do the majority of the kaiju takedowns from this dome. You are right that he doesn't need my help. I want to be his equal."

"Why'd Kira bother to lie, to say you lusted after me as your big secret? Who cares what you do?" More smoke rings.

"We still have 'don't ask don't tell' in the Pacific Defense Program. Everyone always thought it was just a given when you paired up for a Jaeger team. Or you were related so you didn’t need to have sex."

"And that is stopping you from doing anything? Seriously? Renji. I'm surprised. Your reputation is not that great." Bazz-B studied the end of his cigar.

Renji huffed, "In that meeting Izuru knew I didn't want to talk about it in front of Captain Kuchiki. You going to screw it up for me out of some wish to fuck up the Marshall? I have a lot riding on this."

Renji suddenly felt too exposed in front of the desk. "I'm moving to the couch. What is it with this crazy furniture? You bring this shit with you? It doesn’t look reg."

“It was here already. They didn’t have anywhere else for me to be. I try not to look too hard at it. Sort of old fashioned for my tastes. Especially the wallpaper.”

Renji looked at the walls from where he was sprawled on the red velvet couch. “Shit is that fabric? God. Who lived in these rooms before you? And you have windows? You should see the cupboard I live in.”

Bazz-B smiled really wide at that. “The Kuchiki. I was told all this velvet shit is his.”


	6. Bye Bye Bye

Sitting shoved in the crowded troop truck Renji couldn't stop thinking about yesterday night. They hadn’t talked much. Mostly sitting in sullen silence on the overstuffed furniture. And drinking. He had sat there, sprawled on the sofa in Bazz-B’s strange rooms, drinking cognac watching that illuminated globe turn until the alarm had startled them both at 0440. The clanging alarm was for Tacit Ronin pilots and crew to report for immediate transport to the Jaeger dome.

Now Izuru was crushed in next to him, trying to work on the prep over the comms with the team already there. Izuru sniffed at Renji’s braid and frowned. “You smell like cigars.”

Renji just growled. He wasn’t exactly hung over. You can’t be hung over if you are still drunk. He had lost sight of Bazz-B in the rush to get on the trucks. He nudged Izuru, “Hey you know where we are going and what category is the Kaiju event we are going to?”

Izuru snapped back “45°50' and 54°24' North. Category 2. Shut up Renji.” He was trying to listen to his comms earpiece and take notes on his tablet on the back of the Ranger packed in tightly in front of them.

Renji sat staring at his gloved hands on his knees. “Sakhalin. North Pacific. It isn’t a very populated area and the kaiju appears to be a small one alone.” The woman sitting one over answered the questions he hadn’t asked.

“Thanks.”

“First run today right? We’re providing your tech support on launching. I’m with Captain Ichimaru’s pick up and delivery service. I heard Sakura Intercept is your backup today. So you can try out the Jaeger during an operation.”

“Yeah.”

She paused and then looked at him more closely. “Alrighty then. I’ll leave you to it Abarai. Do good today.” She turned to face forward again.

He just nodded. The truck was jolting his head and it was way too crowded. He felt like he was at sea. Then he thought about birch trees. Again with the forest. He’d never actually been in a forest in his life. Looked peaceful.

Izuru nudged him back, “Come back from wherever you are. We’re almost there.”

Renji asked Izuru, “The Kuchikis are support for this time out but Rukia said senbonzakura wasn’t going to be in use. I wanted to see it for once in person. Not just hearing about it third hand.”

“Too expensive for a simple cleanup event. The scatter attack uses up a ton of non-retrievable materials. Your current mission won’t get to see it. Not this time anyway. This should be an easy one for you. You shouldn’t need them at all for a Category Two in an uninhabited area. Consider this as a live fire training exercise.”

“I heard the Kuchiki’s have their own transport to the hanger for this. But have you seen Black?”

Izuru shook his head, thumbing his comms onto mute. “You guys showed up about 10 minutes apart but I haven’t seen him since we assembled and got in the vehicles. Do you even know where you are going when we get there?”

Renji stared at the back of the guy’s head in front of him. “I’ll find it.” He couldn’t hear Izuru’s huffy noises in the chaos of the truck but he knew he was making them.

++++

Renji could see the hulking busted remains of Orion Sabre hanging in the shadows off the main Jaeger hanger access road. It looked brutally damaged and vaguely menacing in the dark.

He was heading towards the lit up Tacit Ronin area although he had to admit to himself that he didn’t actually know exactly where he was supposed to be going. At least the Jaegers were tall. At almost 80 metres he could see his own from across the hanger.

He heard a harsh beeping behind him and turned. A vehicle stopped, bumper at his knees. “Get in the damn car Abarai.” Bazz-B was sitting in the jeep looking pissed. “We don’t have time to waste walking around. We’re supposed to be up there already.”

Renji folded himself into the back of the jeep. “I didn’t see you on the truck.”

“I’m not riding in that cattle car. I came over with the Kuchikis.”

“Che, you’re a fuckwad. You could have invited me too.” Renji was irritated. He had lost Bazz-B when they got off the elevator at G-5 to report for transport and suspected that Bazz-B ditched him on purpose. Now he knew.

“I see enough of you when we are working. And you drank all my cognac yesterday. I think you owe me.”

“Feh.” Renji watched as they drove closer to the hive of activity that was the Tacit Ronin. Only two Jaegers were going out today. The sleek Sakura Intercept had been moved over close to the hanger door as well.

The jeep rolled to a stop. The driver turned to them and they both got out. The driver saluted Bazz-B and drove off. Renji figured he’d get used to being completely ignored at some point in the future.

Bazz-B headed in with Renji a couple of steps behind to get geared up and into the Conn-Pod. He looked down at the back of Bazz-B’s uniformed neck in the elevator. He realized he was a little taller than the Sternritter. Looking down. If only it was so easy all the time.

They seemed to be in sync with each other about certain Jaeger related things. This mission would probably show him more of the extent of his enriched shared connection with Bazz-B. If he had any time to spare to pay attention to the details.

Immediately on their leaving the elevator they were swarmed with orderlies, comms officers and hanger group crew offering equipment and tablets and electronics to hook them up. Like old footage of a pit crew from a car race. Renji felt as if he was underwater. He was moving slowly in the room full of action at a frenetic pace.

“Focus dirtbag.” Bazz-B’s tone was pitiless.

“Don’t underestimate me.”

Now they were in the relative calm of the Conn-Pod, strapping on the drift equipment. Renji was humming a little something as he attached his collar and helmet to the spine coupling.

Renji couldn’t help it. “Need a hand today Black?” He snorted at his own joke.

Bazz-B ignored him and continued on methodically, carefully placing each piece on and connecting the suit.

“Kira here. Tacit Ronin crew, please respond with progress.”

Renji looked over to Bazz-B. Bazz-B wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Black here. Good to go.”

“Proceed to sync deck for connection and countdown. Transport section will be hooking up in T minus 10. Over.” Kira clicked off.

Renji clicked in his feet and shoved one forward to test. “They don’t waste any time on the real ones.”

“Idiot. We gotta go faster for these runs. Now shut up Inuzuri.”

Bazz hadn’t called him that before. That was a name from before. Before the program. Before the school. Before anyone here knew him.

Renji said, “We’re supposed to be starting to do the prep countdown like Kira said.”

The Jaeger shifted as the roller truck connected and began pulling them out of the hanger.

Silence. Bazz-B was gripping the front rail. His gloved hands shaking. His eyes were fixed on the displays in front of him.

“H?” Renji checked his own displays. “H buddy you okay? Still feeling hung over? Huh. Hey Kira you on? I lost Bazz.”

“Kira here. Black. Report.” Silence. “Black. Report please.” Silence.

“Renji get him back please. You have T minus 5 to do it.”

Renji groaned but reached out with his mind and started to drift into Bazz-B’s. Let it go buddy. We have things to do. Let it go. He saw freeway traffic. Heard the horns and squealing tires. “H. Come on man. Buzzard! Buzzard Black!” He screamed it over the sounds of the freeway.

“-T minus 2. Any report Abarai?” Kira’s voice broke into his vision.

“I’m here. Black here.” Bazz-B looked pale but determined.

“Thank you Black. Tacit Ronin approaching lift off location. Captain Ichimaru is ready for you. Tacit Ronin prepare for pickup. I’ll be off comms until you are hooked up. Kira. Over and out.”

They took off almost imperceptibly this time. Then that sibilant low voice was in their ears on the comms. “Lock it in ragazzi. Ichimaru, Captitano Ichimaru pronto con voi. Nero? Are you keeping up? Bazz-B was it?”

They both automatically rechecked their feet, kicking them in a second time. Stabilizing their stance on the drift platform.

Ichimaru continued, “Renji. I know you’ll do fine. That ass next to you needs to pay more attention. I hear you are being babysat this time by the SS Cherry Blossom. You will lead them all a merry chase in the Ronin. Piano piano ragazzi. I’ll let you know when we’re closer. Remember no drifting during transport or I will drop you subito. Ichimaru over.”

Headed towards their first encounter with a kaiju. One or both pilots fading in and out. Hanging from a wire. Carried by a madman. This was getting to be a pretty regular routine for them both.

+++

Tacit Ronin had been landed and they were moving rapidly towards the first actual kaiju engagement of their career. Sakura Intercept was landed a couple kilometers behind them. The Kuchikis didn’t seem to be in a rush to assist.

The thing looked like one of those ugly fish people had in their tanks to clean the glass.

“A pleco. The butt ugly fish is a pleco.” Renij hadn't realized that Bazz-B would notice his mundane thoughts.

“Thanks for the clarification. What do you want to do about the pleco H?”

“Kill it.” Bazz-B had effectively ended the conversation for a bit.

Together they moved a little awkwardly towards the giant fish monster roaring somewhat ineffectively at an oil platform.

Without thinking too hard about it they took it on. They moved to sweep the fish thing’s back legs out from under it. The monster took a swipe at them with one of its forelegs, a fin maybe, and it missed. Renji’s side of Tacit Ronin punched it in what would probably be the shoulder. It started to fall backwards.

A fish arm hit out and smacked Tacit Ronin on the leg. Renji steadied the Jaeger with a little difficulty.

“Kira here. Should be good to go for the finish. The kaiju seems compromised. Vital signs are showing distress.”

Putting their heavy arms together, the Jaeger hit downwards. Smacking the fish square on the head and caving in part of its skull. The odd blood-like fluid stuck on the Jaeger’s hands, and one fish eyeball fell out, held on with the gore of nerves and blood vessels.

“I fucking hate fish. Especially fish with legs.” Bazz-B sounded grouchy.

“I like fish but I’m not going to eat it. Let’s just put it down. Rip it apart.” Renji grinned toothily.

They raised their arms once again and then, with synchronized movements each hand grabbing a finlike arm, ripped the monster apart with hydraulic ease. The kaiju corpse dropped like a stone but then resurfaced. It bobbed on the waves near the oil platform piers, a weird slick on the water that spread out from the floating bulky body.

“That was a waste of our time.” Renji wasn’t sure Bazz-B had actually voiced that sentence but he agreed completely. That kaiju was already half dead. The fight if you could call it that was barely started before it was over.

They stood for a moment, waiting for Kira to come back online when the seas started to boil and up from the left came another pleco kaiju. But bigger. Much much bigger. Taller than their Jaeger.

“Shit man.” Renji knew he had said that out loud.

“Okay Black and Abarai. There’s your Category Two people. Get going and take it down now. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you’re in trouble and we’ll have Sakura Intercept move in for backup. Kira over.”

Renji felt the whirlwind of the focused drift wash over him. Pushing all the irritation and thoughts of failure aside. Concentrating on the massive kaiju that was currently gnawing on Bazz-B’s side of the Jaeger.

They agreed on a live trial of burner finger mode without hesitating. Bazz-B pulled his hand into a fist, then releasing the index finger. Renji flung out his arm to counter balance and avoid tipping over. The wide blast seared a hole through one of the fish-thing’s forefins and charred its nobby head.

They heard some comms noise after that action. Something about the blast slightly nicking the support Jaeger. Poor Kuchikis. They shouldn’t have teased the bad boys with the tiny kaiju fakeout.

The kaiju in front of them now was substantial and taking a long time to go down. Renji slipped in and out of verbal communication with Kira. Bazz-B didn’t seem to need talking for a real operation.

Kira tried not to interrupt them too much but at one point he did send Sakura Intercept in closer to offer some support distance striking with laser ribbons when it seemed like Tacit Ronin was going to go down.

As Tacit Ronin ran towards the wounded kaiju, they decided to stop and fire again from a standstill to avoid issues aiming while moving. This time Renji’s heavy arm came down on the side of the kaiju roughly where the arm would be. The kaiju turned and snapped at the arm, sawing away at it and hanging on with a vise-like grip.

Bazz-B’s blast tore a hole in the side, ugly fish guts spilled out onto them and spread with the waves. Renji shouted or thought he did, then they bent at the knees and with a classic single leg sweep, knocked the kaiju over.

Bazz-B did the honors with his arm dealing a glancing blow to what remained of the kaiju’s head, knocking it off. And miraculously they didn’t fall over on their Jaeger ass with the wake from the kaiju falling back into the water.

They were concentrating on walking back out keeping their balance away from the kaiju gore and the oil platform to get picked up to return to the hanger. Renji was feeling unbalanced with the damaged arm.

“Uh. Kira. I think I broke something here.” Renji lifted his arm, the Jaeger had some damage from where the many rows of fishy kaiju teeth had gnawed on it. The left arm was sparking and smoking a little.

“Yes. We are aware of that. Repairs will come out of your paycheque. Otherwise the mission was successful. Prepare for the pickup crosscheck in T minus 20. Kira over.”

Bazz-B snorted from over on his right.

+++

Bazz-B was humming something as he carefully took off his equipment now that they were back in the hanger.

Renji asked, “Hey H, why do you know all those noxious boy-band pop hits anyway?” He grinned.

Bazz-B shot him a pissed off look, “I have no idea. You are just as fucked Inuzuri. Why is your head filled with bad Chinese TV sword costume dramas? I wouldn’t have pegged you for a soap opera romantic.”

Renji just smiled to himself and thought he’d definitely need to buy Captain Ichimaru a drink after all.

+++

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could write about these jackasses until the end of time but I have some more prompts to deal with in 2016. I hope this isn't the last we hear from Kyoto Shatter Dome.


	7. Epilogue - This I Promise You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that didn't take long for me to return to the siren call of the bad boys. Now I really mean it. I'll go write something else. Really.

Renji looked at the fat incense sticks burning away in the sand, with smoke tendrils drifting down the hallway. Then he raised his good hand with the incense above his head and then bowed to the shrine. He stayed down for a moment or two and then straightened, placing his incense in the half full burner.

There had never been a real shrine space in the Shatterdome that he knew about anyway. But someone had placed black-bordered photos of them at the end of this hallway out of the way down on E-1.

The photos had sat on a small crate until Renji had dragged a low dark bookcase from Bazz-B’s rooms over here with Izuru’s help. They ditched the crate.

Then incense had appeared. First just a metal bucket with few incense sticks stuck in oranges. And then a fancier ornate bronze tripod incense burner maybe half a metre wide and filled with light pink sand with a relief of a sinuous stylized dragon as its legs.

In a deep red lacquer cabinet shelves were stacked up with rice paper wrapped beribboned boxes of sweet smelling and expensive incense. Renji had selected some sticks that were almost the size of his thumb.

Initially there was just a half a box of shitty Daiso Store incense that smelled like pine floor cleaner. After Captain Kuchiki came by that one time, Renji noticed the incense had changed and also the next day an expensive pale green tatami had appeared on the floor.

Renji came here sometimes because it was quiet. He didn’t know why. It was just a crappy dead end corridor but the tatami mats on the steel flooring helped dampen the normal sounds of the bustling base.

Renji could probably blame his injuries for any hearing loss but when he sat here the sounds of the clanging of doors, loudspeaker announcements and sounds of people receded behind him. He thought the shrine faced south but E-1 had no windows so it was hard to tell exactly where they were.

The fragrant smoke smelled nice. A bit like cherry blossoms. Someone had put a slim pale vase to the left of the photos so Renji had brought something to put in it. Something that didn’t need light, air or water. He had found a tall branch of glass cherry blossoms at the gift shop when they finally let him walk around the hospital to get out of his room.

The incense smoke coiled lazily around the two ihai tablets as Renji sat still under the harsh fluorescent lighting.

He sighed, wincing at his pains and adjusted the sling on his other arm. Some of his aches would heal but others just wouldn’t. Shit. You know this will happen at some point and then it does and you still aren’t prepared.

“Oh shut up. You are so fragile these days. Nothing a good beating won’t solve for you.” Bazz-B appeared suddenly kneeling next to him on the tatami and elbowed him sharply in the side. At least the jerk had stuck that pointy elbow in the good side of his ribs.

They knelt there for a while. Thinking about that battle. Thinking about how the fucking kaiju had just kept coming. That the rangers weren’t prepared. Tacit Ronin hadn't even been disconnected from the transport helicopter when the first wave of kaiju hit.

How their primary had shoved them to the side to take that last blow. How their support capacity had ended up failing both teams.

Any time he was still, Renji couldn’t stop feeling that sharp angled shifting as their heavy jaeger hit the ocean floor once the transport lines were broken. They had lost the helicopter team when the kaiju got tangled in the towing lines.

He would flash again and again on his own ordeal, hanging upside down from the busted sync platform in the Conn-Pod half filled with water for what seemed like hours.

Then he would flash on Bazz-B’s view, the man had been burning to the right of him, hands and head engulfed in flames. Renji ran his good hand over his shorn hair. And he sighed again.

Renji hadn’t been sure he would be able to return to the Rangers after he was released from the hospital. But Bazz-B didn’t care for that opinion. He had joked that he didn’t need to shave the right side of his head anymore so Mohawk maintenance was much easier.

And Bazz-B wouldn’t let Renji leave the program. He was waiting for Renji to get cleared so he could spar with him. Freak. Renji’s arm had been broken in five places and his shoulder blade and ribs had been smashed on that side. Bazz-B would be waiting a while.

Bazz-B skootched forward on his knees with a number of incense sticks in his hands. He bowed forward with his eyes closed. He straightened and then said in a low voice, “Thank you for your service Captain Ichimaru and Lieutenant Kuchiki. Your commitment to your last mission has meant that we are alive to thank you for your final sacrifice.”

He placed his incense in the burner, stilled and then scooted back next to him with his bandaged hands in his lap. Renji stared at the photos of Rukia and Gin on the shrine. Rukia, dark haired and intensely unsmiling, staring out of the photo. Gin, so pale and almost closed eyes squinting vaguely at the camera.

Renji hadn’t seen Rukia much while he was stationed at the Shatterdome Kyoto. They had inhabited very different worlds by that point.

Their close relationship had been much earlier in his life. He felt a hole there now. He didn’t have anyone he had known for so long. But even she didn’t know everything.

Captain Ichimaru had worked with both Renji and Bazz-B to improve the drift compatibility for the pair of pilots. That psycho had found a useful approach to the training and their sync became much easier.

Gin had set up a schedule to whip both of their asses in the vault and then taught them to sing bad Italian pop songs in the officers mess. Bazz-B had mellowed and Renji had stepped up.

By the time they embarked on that last mission they had been working together quite effectively with a single mind to pilot the robot. They had earned a good battle count and kaiju kill number for their short time in service as Support Secondary Unit.

But the last mission had been a disaster of colossal proportion. Sakura Intercept was destroyed. Captain Kuchiki was actually now on leave from active duty. Tacit Ronin was currently being rebuilt. The transport unit was in tatters without their enigmatic Captain.

Izuru was even more depressed than he normally was. Bazz-B was miserable with nothing to do and missing his regular sparring partners. The honeymoon was over.

Bazz-B turned back to face Renji. “I don't miss your hair and I am not crying you moron.”

Renji swatted him on the left shoulder. “Never said you were man. Never said you were.” Out loud anyway you uptight idiot.

Bazz-B hit him back none too gently.


End file.
